Strengthening Empirical Reasoning Across the Curriculum

Discussion about the need
 for stronger STEM (science, technology, engineering, 
and mathematics) education, especially for women and
 girls, abounds in the media, classrooms, and centers of policy across America.

In a society focused on big data, how can women’s colleges ensure that students have the skills they will need in an evolving landscape that increasingly relies on empirical approaches? As Barnard reviews its curriculum and initiatives in online and on-campus learning, Heather Van Volkinburg, Barnard’s associate director of learning initiatives 
and data services, draws on data collected at the newly created Empirical Reasoning Lab (ERL) to explore strategies to enhance critical thinking about numerical data, quantitative literacy, and qualitative analysis.